Cheteshwar Pujara has backed Sanju Samson to retain his place in India's T20I side despite growing calls for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make
his international debut.
India's batting finally showed signs of life before rain washed out the opening T20I against England, but the debate over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's place in the XI continues to dominate conversations ahead of the second match.
While the 15-year-old prodigy is yet to make his India debut, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes his opportunity should not come at the expense of dropping an established player like Sanju Samson.
Speaking on JioHotstar's Match Centre Live, Pujara urged the team management to continue backing Samson despite his lean run.
Pujara backs Sanju Samson despite mounting pressure
Samson's recent struggles, coupled with Sooryavanshi's growing hype, have led to speculation that India could make a change at the top of the order. However, Pujara believes the wicketkeeper-batter has already earned the right to a longer run in the side.
"I think India should persist with Sanju Samson. I don't think he should be feeling any pressure. He has proved himself in the T20 World Cup and, with the kind of talent he possesses, he should be there in the playing XI," Pujara said on JioHotstar.
The former India batter also dismissed the growing noise around Samson's place in the squad.
"There shouldn't be a lot of noise about dropping Sanju Samson. He is a quality player and should get a longer run. Sanju just needs to bat naturally and not think too much. "
'Vaibhav Sooryavanshi deserves an opportunity, but not by dropping someone'
Pujara made it clear that Sooryavanshi deserves his chance after his meteoric rise, but felt India should introduce the youngster through rotation rather than replacing one of their frontline batters.
"If Vaibhav needs to play, he should play, but not at the expense of dropping someone, rather by resting someone. "
He added that India's current top three should continue to receive the backing of the management.
"If you want to give him an opportunity, that is fine. But you shouldn't be dropping any of India's top three players, whether it's Sanju, Abhishek or Ishan Kishan. Having said that, Vaibhav does deserve an opportunity, and his opportunity will come. "
Pujara praises captain Shreyas Iyer's rescue act
Pujara also reserved praise for captain Shreyas Iyer, whose composed half-century helped India recover after losing early wickets before posting 189/7 in the rain-hit series opener.
"It was an important knock from Shreyas Iyer and, when you are leading the team, you always look to lead from the front. He showed a lot of maturity because India were in trouble after losing a couple of early wickets. "
The former Test specialist felt Iyer balanced caution with aggression perfectly.
"Abhishek played a good knock, but it was important for Shreyas to hold one end up and take his time. Once he was set, he played some quality shots. "
Pujara concluded by calling it an ideal captain's innings.
"If you look at his innings at the end of the 20 overs, you know that, as a captain, you have done your job. You have put your team in a very commanding position. This was a perfect knock from Shreyas, both as a leader and as a batter. "
Abhishek Sharma earns praise after attacking fifty
Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel also hailed India's overall batting display after the disappointing Ireland series, saying the innings would give the visitors much-needed confidence.
"From India's point of view, they needed this kind of batting performance, especially after what had happened in Ireland. They wanted to challenge themselves; they wanted to adapt to the conditions early, and India did that really well in this game. "
Patel singled out Abhishek Sharma for adapting brilliantly to the English conditions.
"He understood the conditions well. There was a slightly spongier bounce in Durham, but he made sure that whenever the opportunity presented itself, he capitalised on it. "
He added that Abhishek's success in overseas conditions further underlined his credentials.
"Scoring runs in the SENA countries, South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia, puts a stamp on your authority and your skill set. That is the reason why he has been either the No. 1 or No. 2 T20I batter for almost a year. "
With the opening match abandoned due to rain, India and England will head into the second T20I with the five-match series still level at 0-0, while the debate surrounding Sooryavanshi's long-awaited debut is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
